Snowboarders generally do not use poles as skiers do. Due to the variety of air maneuvers often performed by snowboarders, being forced to continually hold the equivalent of a ski pole is often too cumbersome to be practical. There are instances, however, when a snowboarder cannot simply move himself with both feet on the snowboard. This occurs when the snowboarder is on a flat, or nearly flat (i.e., slightly inclined either upward or downward) grade. In these instances a snowboarder has to unbuckle his boot and use one foot, generally his back foot, to push on the snow. This frequently occurs when having to traverse a mountain (as when on a lift line) or when disembarking from a chairlift. Thus, notwithstanding its general cumbersomeness, there are many instances when a pole or similar device would be useful to a snowboarder and allow him to increase his speed and/or maneuverability.
There are few, if any, commercially available snowboard poles. While it is possible to use ski poles, this forces the snowboarder to hold the pole or poles continually while snowboarding. This is contrary to the flow and feel of snowboarding, inasmuch as poles are generally not needed when traveling down an incline, and they simply get in the way.
While there have been some attempts at creating snowboard poles that can be attached to either snowboards or to the lower legs of snowboard users while not in use, these utilize cumbersome attachment mechanisms and do not allow for both convenient access and deployment of the snowboard pole as well as convenient and low-footprint storage of the pole when not in use by a snowboarder while he or she is on the snowboard and moving.
Thus, what is needed in the art is a pole for a snowboard that can be conveniently and quickly accessed and deployed when needed whole on a moving snowboard, and that can also be conveniently stowed while on a moving snowboard when not.